Senate confirms Jack Lew as ambassador to Israel
Lew has said he would work to advance a two state solution for Israel and Palestine
By Jamie Joseph Fox News
Published October 31, 2023 3:21pm EDT
The Senate moved to confirm President Biden's nominee pick for ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, Tuesday after weeks of Republican opposition.
In a 53 - 43 vote, senators confirmed Lew despite mounting Republican opposition over his past work on Iran sanctions during his time as Treasury secretary under the Obama administration.
Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., were the only Republicans to vote in favor of Lew.
On the floor Tuesday afternoon just after the 3:15 PM ET vote, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Lew "is the right man for the job of ambassador to Israel."
"He's a capable public servant to fierce allied Israel and commands a broad base of trust and respect," he said. "And he is a decent and humane man."
But a handful of Republicans opposed Lew in the weeks leading up to his confirmation. Every Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — except Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., — voted against Lew's advancement in the committee earlier this month.
"There's no clear or more immediate action that Senators could take to show a new direction for US policy on Iran, than to reject the nomination of one of the architects of the Iran nuclear deal with the United States and Israel," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.,— a member on the armed services committee — said on the floor Tuesday. "Both the United States and Israel deserve a lot better than Jack Lew, I urge my colleagues to oppose the nomination."
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